Day 6 – Muruzabal
I was more impressed with Pamplona than I expected. Modern businesses such as Vodafone and Tommy Hilfinger seem to blend into the traditional architecture without diluting the experience too much, at least to this novice tourist.
Running of the Bulls monument. Not sure I want to be around for that event.
After scoring a Vodafone SIM card I resumed my march out of town and over the local peak Alto de Perdón at 750m. A rough climb on mostly loose gravel in a strong breeze.
On the way down the other side, I met up with a Spaniard just out for a day hike. He got really excited when I told him I am from Seattle. “Do you live by Boeing? Seattle is home for a lot of businesses. Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks…”. Our reputation precedes me.
Muruzabal is an authentic hamlet. Almost all of the 200 or so residents are farmers or commuters from larger cities. Unlike some of the Camino towns, Muruzabal almost doesn’t even notice the pilgrims walking through. This private albergue is about the only open business besides a sleepy coffee shop.
There are 4 others staying here tonight: a Frenchman, a young women from Vancouver BC, and a young South Korean couple. It was all English at the dinner table but the accents were all over the place.
Couple of Spanish cuisine observations.
- When they say “cafe noir”, they mean it. It puts Starbucks dark roast to shame.
- The word “non-fat” is not in the language. Or it might just translate to “wimp”.
Tomorrow I have a much flatter walk of about 23km.
